The Watershed Council hosted an Edible Aquifer activity at this year's Enviropalooza environmetal festival at Islandwood. This activity uses a sweet approach to teaching kids about how aquifers (areas underground that store large amounts of water, on Bainbridge we get all our drinking water from aquifers) work and why it is important to protect them.
The edible aquifer
To build an edible aquifer, the kids layered "rocks"- ice, chocolate chips, and gummi worms" and added soda to put water in their aquifer. We then added whipped cream, which represents the confining layer, a dense layer of rock/soil that slows the passage of water into the ground. On top we added more "rocks" and "soil" (sprinkles). Then, Kool-Aid is added at the top, and soda is poured over to represent rain. The kids watch as their confining layer slows the passage of pollutants into the aquifer, and then punch a "well" (straw) in to suck out the groundwater (and speed up the pollution process).
With over 80 kids and their families (and a few hardy adults with enough of a sweet tooth to brave it!) making aquifers, we spread the word to a lot of people about how aquifers work and why its important to protect them- and had a great time doing it!
Thanks so much to the wonderful volunteers who organized and ran this event: Rose Defawe, Diane Landry, Jeanne Huber, and Ardy Sacrozie, and to the Suquamish Tribe, whose funding of the Watershed Council this year helped make this activity possible.
Thanks so much to the wonderful volunteers who organized and ran this event: Rose Defawe, Diane Landry, Jeanne Huber, and Ardy Sacrozie, and to the Suquamish Tribe, whose funding of the Watershed Council this year helped make this activity possible.
For directions for making edible aquifers, see: www.deq.state.id.us/water/educ_tools/edible_aquifer_lp.pdf
More information about Bainbridge Island Aquifers is available in our groundwater handout.
More information about Bainbridge Island Aquifers is available in our groundwater handout.
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